Wednesday, 17 August 2016

Revealed: Zlatan and Mane among top 10 PL debutants

There were a number of players hoping to catch the eye on the
first appearances for their new clubs in the Premier League last
weekend, but who were the 10 most impressive debutants?
There’s little to gauge from the opening weekend of the Premier
League season, with 37 games of the campaign still to go. However, the
first game highlighted the Premier League newbies who have hit the
ground running for their respective teams.
Here, WhoScored.com count down the top-10 rated players who made their top-flight debut for their new team using their unique rating system.

10: Alvaro Negredo – Middlesbrough

On the back of his arrival from Valencia, Alvaro Negredo kicked off
his first Premier League appearance for Boro with a goal in the 1-1 draw
with Stoke. The Spaniard’s strike in the opening exchanges helped
contribute to a WhoScored.com rating of 7.42, with the
30-year-old winning an impressive six aerial duels as he led the line
for Aitor Karanka’s side with aplomb on his league debut for
Middlesbrough.

9: Idrissa Gueye – Everton

Given his impressive form for Aston Villa last season, it’s
remarkable to think that Everton were effectively given a clear run at
Idrissa Gueye. The Senegal international moved to Goodison Park for a
little over £7m and his signing could well be the best of the summer,
especially if his debut outing is anything to go by. Gueye controlled
the midfield against Tottenham, making six tackles – only Wilfried Zaha
(7) made more over the weekend – as he quickly settled into life on
Merseyside by scoring 7.44 on an impressive bow.

8: Fernando Llorente – Swansea

The departures of Alberto Paloschi, Bafetimbi Gomis and Andre Ayew
left Swansea lacking in attacking options, but the club rectified this
shortage with the signings of Fernando Llorente and Borja Baston. The
former made his Premier League bow at Burnley and looks perfectly suited
to English football. No player had more shots (6) than the Spaniard,
while eight aerial duels won was among the best in game week one to help
Llorente gain a WhoScored.com rating of 7.51.

7: George Friend – Middlesbrough

The second of three Middlesbrough players included in the list as
George Friend put in a performance of a seasoned Premier League
professional. The 28-year-old left-back provided an effective attacking
outlet from deep, completing more dribbles (5) than any other defender
this weekend and on his way to a rating of 7.71. Four
interceptions, meanwhile, helped maintain Boro’s defensive solidity as
they kicked off their Premier League return with a positive result.

6: Andros Townsend – Crystal Palace

While Crystal Palace fell to a 1-0 home defeat to West Brom on
Saturday, Andros Townsend enjoyed a commendable debut with the Eagles at
Selhurst Park. With his usual trick of cutting inside from the right
flank onto his left foot, the England international fired off the
joint-most shots (6) of the weekend. Interestingly, only two players
made more tackles and interceptions combined (9) than Townsend, who will
hope to put his former employers Tottenham to the sword this coming
weekend. Weekend rating: 7.93

5: Nathan Redmond – Southampton

Following his arrival from Norwich, Southampton head coach Claude
Puel felt Nathan Redmond would be better suited as a forward in his
favoured 4-3-1-2 formation. Indeed, his faith was rewarded in a 1-1 draw
with Watford, with the England attacker bagging a second-half equaliser
to quickly endear himself to the Saints faithful. Redmond injected
creativity in the final third, with his four key passes one of the
better returns. Weekend rating: 8.03

4: Gaston Ramirez – Middlesbrough

After turning his temporary move permanent over the summer, Gaston
Ramirez quickly showed why he warrants regular Premier League action on
his first appearance in the top-flight of English football for his new
team. The Uruguayan provided the assist for Negredo’s goal at the
Riverside Stadium and was a constant offensive threat against Stoke,
with three dribbles and three key passes helping contribute to a
WhoScored.com rating of 8.21.

3: Adama Diomande – Hull

Having registered just three league starts for Hull last season, many
anticipated that Adama Diomande wouldn’t be a regular starter for the
Tigers this term. However, the 26-year-old netted the first Premier
League goal of the campaign – albeit with a huge slice of luck – and
maximised his pace and impressive close control to complete six dribbles
and draw three fouls for Hull, who sprung a huge upset to defeat
defending champions Leicester at the KC Stadium in Saturday’s early
match. Matchday rating: 8.23.

2: Zlatan Ibrahimovic – Manchester United

After securing his switch to Manchester United this summer, there
were high hopes for Zlatan Ibrahimovic this coming campaign and he was
quick to get off the mark against Bournemouth, rifling past Artur Boruc
to effectively seal all three points in Sunday’s early kick off.
The charismatic Swede has now scored three goals in four appearances
following his summer arrival from PSG, with his all-round effective
showing helping gain a WhoScored.com rating of 8.28 on his first Premier League appearance.

1: Sadio Mane – Liverpool

Despite being linked with both Manchester sides this summer,
Liverpool eventually won the race to sign Sadio Mane and were rewarded
instantly with a superb individual outing to help defeat Arsenal 4-3 on
Sunday.
The Senegal star bagged a fine solo goal at the Emirates to help the
Reds to victory in the capital and was routinely targeted by the Arsenal
defence having been fouled more times (6) than any other Premier League
player this weekend. While inconsistency has been a problem for Mane,
further performances like that shown on Sunday, where he rated a
highly-impressive 8.53 – will go a long way to writing himself into Liverpool folklore.